2011 Aragon World Superbike | Results

The 2011 World Superbike Championship made its debut Sunday at Motorland Aragon in Spain, and rewarded wins to two separate riders.

In Race 1, it was Yamaha World Superbike’s Marco Melandri taking the win over Alitalia Aprilia’s Max Biaggi and teammate Leon Camier.

In Race 2, Biaggi took his first win of 2011, followed by Melandri and series’ leader Carlos Checa on the Aletha Ducati 1198R.

Aragon Superbike Race 1

Race 1 at Aragon gave Melandri his second win of the 2011 World Superbike Championship, the Italian piloting his Yamaha YZF-R1 to the finish 1.5 seconds ahead of Biaggi.

Taking third was Biaggi’s teammate Camier, followed by Melandri’s teammate Eugene Laverty. Kawasaki Racing’s Tom Sykes rounding out the top five after a heated battle with Laverty.

As for Checa, the Spaniard crashed on lap 8 just after posting the fastest lap of his home race. This was the first race in 2011 he failed to finish.

Aragon Superbike Race 2

In race 2, Biaggi scored his first win of the 2011 WSBK Championship, taking the win over Melandri by 4.809 seconds. Melandri was running with Biaggi, but ran off the track with a few laps to go, but maintained second place.

Taking third was Checa, just beating out the sole Suzuki rider Michel Fabrizio on the Alstare GSX-R1000. Rounding out the top five was Joan Lascorz on the Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R.

With seven of 13 rounds complete, Checa now has 261 points, 43 ahead or Biaggi. Melandri is in third with 195 points.

The 2011 World Superbike Championship returns next weekend to Brno before a short summer break.

2011 Aragon Superbike: Top Three Point Leader Quotes

Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati 1198R Superbike) says: “I am disappointed because it would have been fantastic to win here in front of the Spanish fans. We didn’t need the Race 1 crash. I was pushing hard to close the gap between me and the leader and I slipped.

“I was slowly catching them and so I’m sorry because it could have been a great race. I don’t know if I would have been able to win but I wanted to at least catch them. Anyway this is racing and I was lucky to be able to take part in race 2, despite some shoulder pain. This was a lesson today and I will learn from it.

“We changed the tire for Race 2 and this was an intelligent decision but I wasn’t able to close the gap that opened between me and the leaders. In the final stages the bike began to move around and I couldn’t gain any more ground. I am however satisfied. We know that we’re in great shape, me, the team, the bike and we’ll go to the next round at Brno where we’ll continue to fight for race wins and for the championship.”

Max Biaggi (Alitalia Aprilia RSV4 Superbike) says: “I am truly happy. This is the first victory with the number 1 on the fairing. I think it could have happened a lot sooner. Unfortunately there was always some circumstance that kept it from us, but we deserve it and I will enjoy it with my team. I must thank the team.

“We worked very hard and between the two races we were also able to change something on my RSV4 which allowed me to push even harder and to be fast and consistent all the way to the end. These are very close races where any slight hesitation can compromise everything. But I dare say that this was a decisive victory, in front from the first metre to the last.”

Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike YZF-R1 Superbike) says: “I had a pretty amazing day. Max was very strong and consistent so it wasn’t easy to pass him in either races but thankfully I managed to succeed in race one. I felt good on the bike and gained confidence which was very important.

“In race two the track was hotter than in race one, making it more difficult for the tyres. Towards the end I felt I was about to lose the front and while trying to avoid going wide my foot slipped on the pedal. It was a really good race though, I’m happy. I want to thank my team and Yamaha for doing a great job again this weekend.”